Systems for Providing Wireless Account Feature Notifications to Mobile Communication Devices

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for providing wireless account calling feature indications to a device are described. Feature indications are provided to inform a user of the device that an incoming call or outgoing call is eligible for an account calling feature based on whether the conditions for the calling feature to apply are currently met. The feature indications are provided to a display of the device and/or to a speaker of the device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/573,458, filed Oct. 5, 2009, which is a continuation of applicationSer. No. 11/427,464, filed Jun. 29, 2006 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,606,554),the entireties of which are herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to mobile communications systems. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to providing feature indications tomobile communication devices regarding benefits associated with awireless account.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of mobile telecommunication services has become ubiquitous astechnology advancements continue to provide ever-improving levels ofquality, communication options, and mobile device features at affordableprice levels. As the subscriber base continues to grow, many subscribersare even foregoing traditional land-line telephone connections in favorof using a mobile line as their sole personal method of telephoneaccess. Competition among service providers for new and existingsubscribers is fierce. Service providers spend millions in advertisingcampaigns designed to build a brand identity that appeals to consumers.Additionally, in order to entice a potential subscriber to sign up forservice, providers often subsidize a part or all of a communicationdevice purchase in exchange for the subscriber agreeing to enter intoservice contract of a specified length. As such, a given serviceprovider has a substantial investment in its subscriber base.

An important factor in maximizing a service provider's profit is tominimize the number of customers leaving to go to a competitor. The rateat which customers leave to obtain services from competitors is oftenreferred to as “churn” in the industry. As with any business it isimperative to foster goodwill between the customer and the brand throughexcellent customer service and competitive features. A common feature ofmany service providers is reduced cost or free airtime during non-peakhours such as nights and weekends. In addition, many service providershave implemented programs designed to create customer loyalty andminimize churn. Among these programs are free in-network calls. Theseprograms can encourage subscribers to recommend their service providerto family and friends so that many of their wireless calls will be free.If a number of the subscriber's acquaintances follow thisrecommendation, each can converse wirelessly with the subscriber withoutthe calls deducting from either party's pool of available airtime. Oncethe subscriber's service contract expires he or she is free to go toseek service from a competitor, but if this decision is made, then thebenefit of free in-network calls to the family and friends also usingthe current service provider will be lost. In this way, free in-networkcall programs can encourage customer loyalty.

In order for a feature such as free nights and weekends or freein-network calling to generate goodwill with a customer, however, thatcustomer must be aware that he or she is receiving that benefit. Withpost-paid calling plans and large monthly minute allotments, customersmay often forget or be unaware of the benefits they are receiving forbeing a customer of a given service provider. Unless the customer readsthe call history portion of their monthly bill in detail, they may notattribute a low amount of airtime used to nights/weekends and in-networkcalling programs. To achieve the potential minimization of churn andmaximization of customer loyalty provided by these programs, systems andmethods are needed to bring these benefits to a subscriber's attentionat or near the time that the benefits are bestowed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Devices, systems, and methods for providing a feature indication to amobile device in a wireless communication system are disclosed. A deviceaccording to the present invention can include a transceiver, a display,a processor, and a memory. The memory can include a feature indicationapplication configured to provide a feature indication to a user of thedevice, where the feature indication notifies the user that an accountfeature is being applied and/or will be applied to a given networkservice.

In one embodiment, the network service can be a telephone call, and theaccount feature can be free in-network calling. In this embodiment thefeature indication can be provided on a display of the device prior tothe telephone call being answered. The application can be configured toreceive data from the network as to whether a feature is applicable.Alternatively, or in addition, the application can use data included inthe memory of the device to determine if an account feature applies.

In another embodiment, the network service can be a telephone call andthe account feature can be free calling during a specified time period.The application can be configured to receive data from the network as towhether a feature is applicable. Alternatively, or in addition, theapplication can use data included in the memory of the device todetermine if an account feature applies. The feature indication caninclude information as to when the feature will apply to the networkservice in the future.

A system according to the present invention can include a networkcomponent configured to receive information regarding a network serviceto be provided to a device associated with a subscriber account,determine if an account feature applies to the account for the networkservice to be provided, and if so, send an account feature indication tothe device. The network component can include a customized applicationfor mobile enhanced logic service.

A method according to the present invention can include determining if afeature applies to a network service to be provided to a subscriberaccount and, if so, displaying a feature indication on a display of anassociated device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts mobile devices providing a free call account featureindication on their displays for an in-network calling embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 depicts mobile devices providing a free call account featureindication on their displays for an off peak calling period embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system for providing account featureindications to mobile devices using CAMEL.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the provisioning of CAMEL servicesacross multiple wireless communication networks.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for providing an account featureindication on a mobile device display in a free in-network callingembodiment of the present invention for an outgoing call placed from amobile device.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for providing an account featureindication on a mobile device display in a free in-network callingembodiment of the present invention for an incoming call placed to amobile device.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts for methods for providing a freein-network call feature indication to a mobile device using a mobiledevice address book to determine if the call qualifies for freein-network calling.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting a method for providing a call featureindication based on a time of day or a day of week parameter.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart depicting a method for providing a call featureindication based on a time of day or day of week utilizing call featureflags on the mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein. It must be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merelyexemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various andalternative forms, and combinations thereof. As used herein, the word“exemplary” is used expansively to refer to embodiments that serve as anillustration, specimen, model or pattern. The figures are notnecessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimizedto show details of particular components. In other instances, well-knowncomponents, systems, materials or methods have not been described indetail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and asa representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals indicate likeelements throughout the several views, the drawings illustrate certainof the various aspects of exemplary embodiments. FIG. 1 shows a mobilecommunication device 102 having a display 104. The mobile device 102 isdepicted as a non-flip type device, but can be a flip-type mobiledevice. The display can include any of the display types known in theart such as LCD, LED, TFT, electronic paper and others. Furthermore, thedisplay can also include forthcoming technologies such as organic LED,carbon nanotubes, or any other display capable of providing the featureindication described herein without departing from the scope of theinvention. The display 104 is shown having a telephone number 106 and afeature indication 108.

The telephone number 106 can be the number of telephone line that isplacing an incoming call to the mobile device 102 that has not beenanswered. The telephone number can also be the number of a telephoneline that is currently engaged in a telephone call with the mobiledevice 102. Where the mobile device 102 has a matching telephone numberstored in its memory, the mobile device can display a name associatedwith the number as is known in the art.

The feature indication 108 as shown reads “Cingular FREE!” to indicatethat an incoming call is free and can remain on the display if and whenthe call is answered. “Cingular FREE!” is given as an example, and thefeature indication 108 need not match this particular string. Thefeature indication 108 can include text, an icon, a logo, an image, ananimation, a sound, a song, or any combination thereof to indicate thatan account benefit applies to an incoming call, an outgoing call, acurrent call, and/or other communication service such as messaging, datatransfers, and video services. The feature indication can be moreeffective if some indicia of the brand of the service provider isincluded, but branding the indication is optional.

For telephone call related embodiments, such as free in-network calling,the feature indication can be provided before an incoming call isanswered, while the communication device is ringing. This is beneficialdue to this being the point in time that the user of the mobile device102 is most likely to be looking at the display 104 because mobiledevice users commonly view the display of their mobile device beforeanswering to see who is calling.

The mobile device 110 is depicted as a flip-type mobile device having anexternal secondary display 112. Because many flip-type mobile devicesare configured to answer an incoming call upon the device being opened,incoming call information is commonly displayed on a display that isviewable while the device is in a closed position. In the case of themobile device 110, the device is shown as ringing for an incoming call.The display 112 shows the caller's name 114, shows a picture associatedwith the caller 116, and includes a feature indication 118. The name andpicture of the caller can be stored in a memory of the mobile device 110and retrieved based on the telephone number of the line calling themobile device 110.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a mobile device 202 is shown having a display204. The display includes feature indication 206 including the string“This call will be FREE in: 00:15 Thanks to Free Nights from Cingular.”The feature indication 206 can inform a user that a current call, anincoming call, and/or a call being dialed will be eligible for thebenefit of an account feature at a future time. The timer included inthe feature indication 206 can inform the user of how long until thefeature will apply—in this example, when the call will be free (i.e.,the user will not be charged for additional airtime for the call afterthe timer reaches zero). Alternatively, the feature indication canmerely indicate that the call will soon be free using, for example,“This call will soon be FREE” or other variations. The featureindication 206 can include text, an icon, a logo, an image, ananimation, a sound, a song, or any combination thereof.

Once the service is eligible for the account benefit the featureindication 206 can change to show that the account feature now appliessuch as feature indication 208. The feature indication 208 includes,“This call is now FREE Thanks to Free Nights from Cingular.”Alternatively, the feature indication could include “Cingular FREE!” orsome other indication that the account feature now applies. The featureindication 208 can include text, an icon, a logo, an image, ananimation, a sound, a song, or any combination thereof.

Systems and methods for determining whether a feature indication shouldbe displayed, and how to cause it to be displayed are discussed below.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary system 300 for providing a feature indicationto a mobile subscriber in a GSM wireless communication network. Thesystem shown is intended to be exemplary and not limiting. The presentinvention can be implemented in other systems for providing wirelesscommunications known in the art, including but not limited to CDMA,CDMA2000, W-CDMA, UMTS, WiFi, and BLUETOOTH®. The mobile device 102includes a subscriber identity module 310 (SIM), a computer readablememory 308, a processor 306, a display 304, and a transceiver 302 forcommunicating with a base transceiver station 316 (BTS) of the wirelessnetwork 314. The computer readable memory 308 can include a featureindication application 309 (FIA). The FIA 309 can be configured toreceive information from the wireless network indicating whether afeature indication should be displayed on the mobile device. In someembodiments, the FIA 309 is configured to read the contents of anaddress book of the mobile device to determine if a feature indicationshould be displayed—where the address book includes a flag to markentries as being subscribers to the same wireless communicationsprovider as that of the mobile device. In still another embodiment, theFIA 309 is configured to read a clock of the mobile device to determineif a feature indication should be displayed on the mobile device.

The wireless network 314 includes a BTS 316 for communicating with themobile device 102 and the base station controller 318 (BSC). The BSC 318communicates with a mobile switching center/visitor location register320 (MSC/VLR), which provides switching functions and temporary storageof subscriber information for mobile devices located within theMSC/VLR's service area. The MSC/VLR 320 can communicate via signalsystem 7 (SS7) network 322 with a home location register 324 (HLR) and aservice control function 326 (SCF). As is known in the art, the HLR 324contains subscriber information for authorized users of the wirelessnetwork 314.

The SCF 326 performs services related to customized applications formobile enhanced logic (CAMEL) in the wireless network 300. The 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) maintains technical specificationsfor wireless communications including specifications for CAMEL. Thesedocuments can be obtained on the Internet at www.3gpp.org. Document 3GPPTS 02.78 includes technical specifications for CAMEL. The entirety ofthis document is incorporated by reference herein.

CAMEL is a protocol for providing intelligent network functions in a GSMnetwork. The protocol can be used to simplify the process of addingcustomized features to a wireless network. Use of the protocol canpermit the addition of custom features without burdening the MSC withprocessing of these features. External devices can instead be used toperform processing in support of the custom features. The SCF 326 issuch a device.

The HLR 324 stores information indicating whether subscribers have CAMELservice. Upon a CAMEL enabled subscriber of the wireless network 300registering with the network, the HLR 324 transfers CAMEL subscriptioninformation (CSI) to network elements that need the information toprovide CAMEL service to the subscriber. The CSI can include originatingCSI (O-CSI) and terminating CSI (T-CSI).

The CSI includes a trigger detection profile (TDP) for the subscriber.The TDP includes a list of conditions (triggers) which when met triggerthe invocation of external call processing logic. Upon a trigger beingdetected normal call processing is suspended and control of processingis handed off from the MSC to the external CAMEL elements (e.g., the SCF326) to provide the CAMEL service. These CAMEL elements can perform theprocessing necessary to provide the customized feature. Alternatively,if these elements determine that the feature should not be invoked,control can be returned to the MSC without further processing beingperformed.

Customized features provided by CAMEL can be provided to subscribersroaming outside of their home networks, as is known in the art. FIG. 4is a block diagram showing a home network 402, an interrogating network404, and a visiting network 406 for providing CAMEL services tosubscribers roaming outside of their home networks. Double arrows depictcommunication between elements, and include “MAP” or “CAP” to denotemobile application part, and CAMEL application part, respectively, isused for the communications. The line between the MSC 412 and the MSC416 depicts voice traffic.

For handling originating calls, O-CSI is provided to the VLR 418 of thevisiting network 406 upon a roaming mobile device (having the homenetwork 402 as its PLMN) registering with the VLR 418. The VLR 418 canprovide this information to the MSC 416 for use in processing callsoriginating from the roaming mobile device. If the MSC 416, using theinformation provided by the HLR 408, detects that the roaming mobiledevice has O-CSI associated with it, the MSC 416 can contact the SCF 410through the service switching function 420 (SSF) to get instructions onhow to handle CAMEL triggers for calls originating from the roamingmobile device.

For calls terminating at the roaming mobile device, the MSC 412 of theinterrogating network can query the HLR 408 to obtain the location ofthe roaming mobile subscriber. In its response, the HLR 408 can includethe CSI for the roaming mobile device. If the roaming mobile device hasT-CSI associated with it, the MSC 412 can query the SCF 410 via the SSF414 for instructions on CAMEL processing for the call terminating at theroaming mobile device.

In-Network Calling Feature Indication.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method 500 for providing a free in-networkcall feature indication to a mobile device for an outgoing call sentfrom the mobile device. The method begins at block 502 and continues toblock 504 where a request is received at an MSC from a mobile device toset up a call. As described above, the MSC has access to informationpreviously obtained from the HLR of the mobile device (uponregistration) as to whether the account is provisioned for CAMELservices. At block 506, if the mobile device has O-CSI, the methodcontinues to block 508 where call processing is paused in the MSC andcontrol of call processing is handed off to the SRF. If no O-CSI for themobile device exists, the method continues to block 514 where the MSCcontinues to process the call. From block 508, the method continues toblock 510 where the dialed number is checked to determine if it belongsto the same HPLMN as the mobile device placing the call. Thisdetermination can be made the SRF querying the HLR to determine if theaccount associated with the dialed number is found in the records of theHLR.

If the dialed number does not belong to the HPLMN of the mobile deviceplacing the call, the method continues to block 514. If the dialednumber does belong to the HPLMN of the mobile device placing the call, afeature indication is sent to the mobile device placing the call atblock 512. The indication can be provided by the SRF to the FIA on themobile device. The FIA can then cause a feature indication to be shownon a display of the mobile device.

It should be understood that the method of FIG. 5 is exemplary andshould not be considered limiting. Modifications can be made withoutexceeding the scope of the present invention. For example, while themethod 500 shows that call processing is paused while an in-networkdetermination is being made, call processing could alternativelycontinue while the in-network determination is being made. This canprevent network functions from being excessively slowed by featureindication processing.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method 600 for providing a free in-networkcall feature indication to a mobile device for an incoming call sent tothe mobile device. The method starts at block 602 and proceeds to block604 where a request is received at an MSC to setup a call. As describedabove, the MSC can receive information from the HLR of the terminatingmobile device at the time the MSC queries the HLR for the terminatingmobile's location. At block 606, if the mobile device has T-CSI, themethod continues to block 608 where call processing is paused in the MSCand control of call processing is handed off to the SRF. If no T-CSIexists, the method continues to block 614 where the MSC continuesprocessing the call.

From block 608 the method continues to block 610 where the originatingnumber is checked to determine if it belongs to the same affinity groupas the terminating number. This determination can be made by the SCFquerying the HLR of the originating device and the HLR of theterminating mobile device to ascertain whether both devices are servicedby the same wireless service provider. Alternatively, a databaseincluding account and/or subscriber identifiers (such as internationalmobile subscriber identifiers or E.164 compliant wireless telephonenumbers) for a wireless service provider can be queried to make thedetermination. This database can merely include identifiers associatedwith accounts which are eligible for the account feature or can includeall identifiers for the service provider where the identifiers aremarked using database fields as to which, if any, features apply to anassociated account. If the originating number does not belong to thesame service provider as the terminating number the method continues toblock 614. If the originating number belongs to the same serviceprovider as the terminating mobile device, the method continues to block612 where a feature indication is sent to the mobile device. Theindication can be provided by the SRF to the FIA on the terminatingmobile device. The FIA can then cause a feature indication to be shownon a display of the mobile device. The method 600 proceeds to block 614where call processing is continued in the MSC. The method 600 ends atblock 616.

It should be understood that the method of FIG. 6 is exemplary andshould not be considered limiting. Modifications can be made withoutexceeding the scope of the present invention. For example, while themethod 600 shows that call processing is paused while an in-networkdetermination is being made, call processing could alternativelycontinue while the in-network determination is being made. This canprevent network functions from being excessively slowed by featureindication processing.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts for methods for providing a freein-network call feature indication to a mobile device using a mobiledevice address book to determine if the call qualifies for freein-network calling. The method 700 begins at block 702 and proceeds toblock 704 where an incoming call is received at a mobile device. Themethod proceeds to block 706 where the phone (i.e., address) book of themobile device is checked for an entry that corresponds to the telephonenumber placing the incoming call. This check can be performed by an FIAof the mobile device. If a corresponding entry is found, that entry ischecked to determine if a flag is set that indicates that the entry ispart of the same HPLMN as the mobile device receiving the call. If thephone book entry is not found, or if the entry does not indicate that itbelongs to the same home network as the mobile device receiving thecall, the method ends at block 710. If the phone book entry indicatesthat the device is part of the same network, the method continues toblock 708 where a feature indication is shown on a display of the mobiledevice. This action can be performed by an FIA of the mobile device.

The method 720 begins at block 722 and proceeds to block 724 where anoutgoing call is placed from a mobile device. The method proceeds toblock 726 where the phone (i.e., address) book of the mobile device ischecked for an entry that corresponds to the telephone number beingcalled. This check can be performed by an FIA of the mobile device. If acorresponding entry is found, that entry is checked to determine if aflag is set that indicates that the entry is part of the same HPLMN asthe mobile device dialing the call. If the phone book entry is notfound, or if the entry does not indicate that it belongs to the samehome network as the mobile device dialing the call, the method ends atblock 730. If the phone book entry indicates that the device is part ofthe same network, the method continues to block 728 where a featureindication is shown on a display of the mobile device. This action canbe performed by an FIA of the mobile device.

In both method 700 and 720 the flag in the phone book (which indicatesthat the entry is part of the same HPLMN as the mobile device on whichthe phone book is stored) can be set manually by a user of the mobiledevice who is aware of the wireless service provider used by thesubscriber associated with the phone book entry. Alternatively, thisflag can be set by communications with the network.

The advantage of setting a flag as opposed to checking the respectiveHPLMNs of the parties of a call is that the flag can be set once orperiodically. Once the flag is set, checking this flag does not requirethe use of network resources to provide a call feature indication. Thedisadvantage is that the service provider of a phone entry can change,and if the phone book is not updated to reflect this change, erroneouscall feature indications will be displayed.

The embodiments described above should not be considered limiting. Inanother embodiment for a free calling feature, a wireless serviceprovider can offer free calling between a subscriber's phone and a groupof numbers instead of, or in addition to, free in-network calling.

A group of numbers to and from which the subscriber's phone can make andreceive free calls can be stored in a database in communication with thewireless network. Individual telephone numbers (and/or other telephoneline identifiers) can be stored in the database and associated with thesubscriber's account, for example, the telephone numbers for thesubscriber's parents and grandparents—whether wired or wireless.Parameters describing groups of related telephone numbers can also bestored in the database and associated with the subscriber's account, forexample, all telephone numbers belonging to a geographical area, and/orall telephone numbers belonging to a certain exchange, and/or alltelephone numbers belonging to a certain area code, and/or all telephonenumbers belonging to a specified wired or wireless network provider.

The telephone lines associated with the subscriber's account can, takentogether, describe an affinity group with who the subscriber cancommunicate over the wireless network without being charged for theairtime used. With the affinity group database in place, the system canquery this database to determine if a call is free as disclosed abovewith regard to the previously described embodiments to determine if afeature indication should be displayed on the subscriber's device. Thesystem can display the feature indication as described above if it isdetermined that the feature indication should be shown.

An interface can be provided to permit a subscriber to add telephonenumbers (or other line identifiers) to the database for addition to theaffinity group. The interface can also permit removal of theidentifiers, however, such changes could be limited in order to preventthe temporary addition of number for a call and their subsequent removalafter the call.

The affinity group embodiment can be used to encourage the use oftelephone service from certain network providers such as providers withwhich the wireless service provider has an established businessrelationship, such as the addition of all telephone numbers serviced bya landline carrier having a business relationship with the wirelessservice provider.

Call Feature Indication Based on a Time of Day or Day of Week Parameter.

Section 9 of 3GPP TS 02.78 (page 21 of that document) describes the useof CAMEL in wireless account charging activities. One or more rates fora call can be sent from a CAMEL service environment (such as a SCF) to amobile device after the detection of a CAMEL trigger. If more than onerate is sent to the mobile device, a time at which the additional ratesbecome effective can be sent. These values can be provided to the FIA onthe mobile device of the present invention to provide a featureindication on the mobile device. Using the rate data, the FIA canprovide a feature indication on the mobile device while it is ringingfor an incoming call or while it is ringing an outgoing call to indicatethat the feature is applicable to the call. In addition, if more thanone rate is supplied to the FIA, the FIA can display a featureindication that includes a notice of when the feature will becomeapplicable in the future. For example, a countdown timer can be providedto indicate that a call will soon be free due to the applicability of afree nighttime calls feature of a wireless account.

Using the example of free nighttime calls, if a rate supplied to the FIAby the SCF is zero (such that the call is free), the FIA can cause themobile device to display “This Call is Free Due to Free Nights andWeekends from CINGULAR!” while the mobile device is ringing. If morethan one rate is supplied to the FIA, and one of the rates is zero, theFIA can use the time at which the zero rate applies to display a featureindication that notes that the call will become free in the future, suchas a countdown timer. The countdown timer can be updated periodically asthe time for the zero rate to apply approaches.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting method 800 for providing a call featureindication based on a time of day or a day of week parameter. The methodstarts at block 802 and proceeds to block 804 where rate information fora call is received at a mobile device from a wireless network. Theinformation can be received during call set up. At block 806 the rateinformation can be checked to determine if an account feature will applyto the call. If an account feature will apply to the call when answeredthe method proceeds to block 808 where a call feature indication isshown on a display of the mobile device and the method ends at block814. If an account feature will not apply to the call when answered, therate information can be checked at block 810 to determine if an accountfeature will apply in the future. If not, the method ends at block 814.If an account feature will apply in the future, notice is provided atblock 812 to a display of the mobile device that an account feature willapply to the call in the future. The method ends at block 814.

In some embodiments the FIA can provide call feature indications fortime of day or day of week based call features based on the internalcalendar of the mobile device. Upon a mobile device registering with awireless network, its internal clock and calendar are synched with thenetwork. Using the internal clock the FIA can determine if an incomingor outgoing call will benefit from an account calling feature such asfree nights and/or weekends. The FIA can be supplied with informationregarding whether or not free nights and/or weekends applies to theaccount. This can be in the form of one or more flags stored in thecomputer readable memory of the device. These flags can be updatedmanually by a user of the device who is aware that the accountassociated with the device is eligible for free nights and/or weekends.Alternatively, the flag(s) can be set by communications between themobile device and the network. If the parameters of applicability change(such as a night being considered to begin earlier than previouslyindicated) the network can push new information to the mobile device,updating the FIA.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart depicting method 900 for providing a call featureindication based on a time of day or day of week utilizing call featureflags on the mobile device. The method begins at block 902 and proceedsto block 904 where an outgoing call is placed from/or an incoming callis received at a mobile device. At block 906 a check is performed todetermine if call feature flags are set to indicate that a callingfeature applies to the wireless account associated with the mobiledevice. For example, if the account is eligible for free nighttimecalling a flag can be set to indicate that this is the case. Likewise aflag can be set to indicate that the account is eligible for freeweekend calling. In some embodiments a single flag can be used to denotethat the account is eligible for both free nighttime and free weekendcalling. The check of the calling feature flags can be performed by anFIA on the mobile device. If the flags do not indicate that a callingfeature applies to the account the method ends at block 912.

If the flags indicate that a calling feature applies to the account, theclock and/or calendar of the mobile device can be checked to determineif the calling features indicated by the flags currently apply. If theaccount features do apply, the method proceeds to block 910 where a callfeature indication is provided on a display of the mobile device and themethod ends at block 912. The call feature identification can beprovided by the FIA. If the calling features do to not currently apply,the method continues to block 914 where the clock and or calendarinformation is checked to determine if an account feature will apply inthe future. If not, the method ends at block 912. If an account featurewill apply in the future, a notice is provided on a display of themobile device at block 916. Of course, in the case of free nights andweekends, these account features will eventually apply to a call if itsduration is long enough. However, a time window can be set so thatnotice of future applicability of account features will be provided onlywhen the time to their applicability is within the window. A timewindow, for example, of five minutes can be set.

In some embodiments, the FIA can, regardless of whether a call is beingplaced, or an incoming call exists, provide a notification on a displayof the mobile device indicating that a call feature applies to any callsthat might be placed or might be received. That is, continuing with theexample of free nights and weekends, the FIA can use the clock andcalendar of the mobile device to provide an indication as to whether anycalls to or from the device are free or will be free in the future. Inthis embodiment the FIA provides these call feature indications whilethe device is power on and registered with a wireless network(registered with its home wireless network if this is required for callfeature applicability).

The law does not require and it is economically prohibitive toillustrate and teach every possible embodiment of the present claims.Hence, the above-described embodiments are merely exemplaryillustrations of implementations set forth for a clear understanding ofthe principles of the invention. Variations, modifications, andcombinations may be made to the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims. All such variations,modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of thisdisclosure and the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A wireless communications device, comprising: a processor;a memory in communication with the processor and having stored thereoncomputer readable instructions which, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to perform operations comprising: determiningwhether a user account feature is applicable to a network serviceprovided to the wireless communications device, wherein the networkservice comprises a data communication, and the user account featurecomprises free use of airtime for data communications betweencommunication devices associated with user accounts belonging to anaffinity group, the determining including: searching an address book foran entry corresponding to the data communication; and responsive tofinding the entry corresponding to the data communication, checking anaffinity group flag of the entry to determine whether the datacommunication is between communication devices associated with useraccounts belonging to the affinity group; and responsive to determiningthat the data communication is between communication devices associatedwith user accounts belonging to the affinity group, communicating afeature indication, prior to the data communication being established,for notifying a user of the wireless communication device that the useraccount feature applies to the network service provided to the wirelesscommunications device.
 2. The wireless communications device of claim 1,wherein the data communication comprises messaging, and the free use ofairtime for data communications comprises free use of airtime formessaging between the communication devices associated with the useraccounts belonging to the affinity group.
 3. The wireless communicationsdevice of claim 1, wherein the data communication comprises datatransfer, and the free use of airtime for data communications comprisesfree use of airtime for data transfer between the communication devicesassociated with the users accounts belonging to the affinity group. 4.The wireless communications device of claim 1, wherein the datacommunication comprises video services, and the free use of airtime fordata communications comprises free use of airtime for video services forthe communication devices associated with the user accounts belonging tothe affinity group.
 5. The wireless communications device of claim 2,wherein the free use of airtime for messaging applies during a specifiedtime period.
 6. The wireless communications device of claim 3, whereinfree use of airtime for data transfer applies during a specified timeperiod.
 7. The wireless communications device of claim 4, wherein thefree use of airtime for video services applies during a specified timeperiod.
 8. A method, comprising: receiving a request from a firstcommunication device to initiate communication with a secondcommunication device over a wireless network, wherein the requestidentifies a network service to be provided to the first communicationsdevice, a first user account associated with the first communicationdevice, and a second user account associated with the secondcommunication device; determining, by a processor, based on the receivedrequest, whether the first user account and the second user account aremembers of a predefined affinity group of user accounts associated withcommunication devices, wherein the user accounts of members of thepredefined affinity group are not charged for airtime for communicationsbetween the communication devices associated with the members of thepredefined affinity group; responsive to determining that the first useraccount and the second user account are members of the predefinedaffinity group, determining, by the processor, whether an accountfeature applies to the network; and responsive to determining that theaccount feature applies to the network service, transmitting an accountfeature indication to the first communication device.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the network service comprises messaging, and theaccount feature comprises free messaging between the first communicationdevice and the second communication device via the wireless network. 10.The method of claim 8, wherein the network service comprises datatransfer, and the account feature comprises free data transfer betweenthe first communication device and the second communication device viathe wireless network.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the networkservice comprises video services, and the account feature comprises freeusage of video services for communications between the firstcommunication device and the second communication device via thewireless network.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the network servicecomprises messaging, and the account feature comprises free messagingduring a specified time period.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein thenetwork service comprises data transfer, and the account featurecomprises free data transfer during a specified time period.
 14. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the network service comprises video services,and the account feature comprises free usage of video services during aspecified time period.
 15. A computer readable storage medium havinginstructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, causethe processor to perform operations comprising: determining whether auser account feature is applicable to a network service provided to awireless communications device, wherein the network service comprises adata communication, and the user account feature comprises free use ofairtime for data communications between communication devices associatedwith user accounts belonging to an affinity group, the determiningincluding: searching an address book for an entry corresponding to thedata communication; and responsive to finding the entry corresponding tothe data communication, checking an affinity group flag of the entry todetermine whether the data communication is between communicationdevices associated with user accounts belonging to the affinity group;and responsive to determining that the data communication is betweencommunication devices associated with user accounts belonging to theaffinity group, communicating a feature indication, prior to the datacommunication being established, for notifying a user of the wirelesscommunication device that the user account feature applies to thenetwork service provided to the wireless communications device.
 16. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the datacommunication comprises messaging, and the free use of airtime for datacommunications comprises free use of airtime for messaging between thecommunication devices associated with the user accounts belonging to theaffinity group.
 17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15,wherein the data communication comprises data transfer, and the free useof airtime for data communications comprises free use of airtime fordata transfer between the communication devices associated with theusers accounts belonging to the affinity group.
 18. The computerreadable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data communicationcomprises video services, and the free use of airtime for datacommunications comprises free use of airtime for video services for thecommunication devices associated with the user accounts belonging to theaffinity group during a specified time period.
 19. The computer readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the free use of airtime formessaging applies during a specified time period.
 20. The computerreadable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the free use of airtime fordata transfer applies during a specified time period.